cupidity

noun

cu·pid·i·ty kyu̇-ˈpi-də-tē

plural cupidities

Synonyms of cupidity

: inordinate desire for wealth : avarice, greed

the cupidity of the bankers

: strong desire : lust

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From its verb "cupere" ("to desire") Latin derived three nouns which have passed with minimal modification into English. Cupiditas meant "yearning and "desire"; English borrowed this as "cupidity," which originally in the 15th century was synonymous with "lust." (The "greed" meaning of "cupidity" developed very soon after this other now-archaic meaning.) Latin cupido started out as a near synonym of "cupiditas," but it came to stand for the personification of specifically carnal desire, the counterpart of Greek eros; this is the source of our familiar (and rather domesticated) Cupid. A strengthened form of "cupere" - concupiscere, meaning "to desire ardently - yielded the noun "concupiscentia" in the Late Latin of the Christian church. "Concupiscentia" came specially to denote sexual desire, a meaning reflected in the English version concupiscence, meaning "sexual desire."

Examples of cupidity in a Sentence

The evidence revealed the cupidity of the company's directors. reports of great treasure in the Indies inflamed the cupidity of Columbus's crew

Recent Examples on the Web

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Pilgrimage, though couched in spiritual aims, often bordered on sheer cupidity. —Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023 To cupidity, and beyond! —Kyle Smith, WSJ, 16 June 2022